Ollie Ollie Oxen Free Season One
by TaylorSmiles
Summary: Ollie Tyler and Rose Tyler are thick as thieves. Where one goes, the other follows. So really, it's no shock that the Doctor must take both of them out to explore the universe.
1. Rose

ONE

I had always been small. Growing up, I knew that I would, with the slight hope that I wouldn't, always be small.

There's no telling how many gallons of milk I chugged down in my primary school years, or how many times I'd begged Mum to bring home broccoli, despite the fact that I could barely look at the stuff without gagging.

But through all the times I had to peek through legs or climb on top of counters, my sister had always been right there, lifting me up and keeping me balanced.

Oh, and I followed her everywhere. Still do, I admit. Everywhere Rose went, little Olivia Tyler followed.

When Rose went to Shareen's, I'd go along with her, whether the other girls wanted me there or not.

When I'd lost my prized Rubik's cube, the two of us, together, crawled up and down the block, noses to the ground and eyes on every crevice until we came home with skinned knees, dirty palms, and a Rubik's cube in my rucksack.

When She'd tried out for the gymnastics team, I was standing against the gym wall with my fingers crossed, cheering her on the best I could.

When Rose and Shareen skipped school to shop and look at boys, well, I hurried right behind them.

When Rose quit school, I'd followed shortly after.

And when she got the job at Henrick's, I'd gotten hired in the clean up department, and Rose had made sure to match our schedules.

I was good in the clean up department. Some may even say fantastic. Few, but some – I didn't complain.

Mainly because I was used to cleaning up after my less tidy sister and mother. I was good there. I wasn't the happiest person in the world, but I was good. I had my sister — my best friend. If I could only have one thing in the world, I was perfectly content with that.

"Ollie?"

A loud clang echoed off the walls of the third floor corridor as my hands slipped, the broom rebounding off the tile floor before rolling to clang against the wall.

I sighed, watching as a small puddle of mop water formed.

Footsteps leading from the lift started towards me and I watched as a pair of white trainers came into view. One skillfully slipped under the mop handle, kicking it up.

Rose, with a self satisfied grin, handed me the broom. "Gotta hand in the lottery money."

I raised an eyebrow at that, remembering Wilson and his creepy dungeon work area. I chewed at my bottom lip, restraining against all natural instinct to wish her luck on her own.

I would never do that, though. The Tyler sisters had made a pact long ago to never venture into dark spaces without the other by their side.

I hated the basement, I hated anything even remotely basement-like, but I could never let Rose face the dark alone. Call it a childish promise from the past, but it'd always stand.

I nodded. "Just let me finish up here."

She hummed, leaning against the wall. "You got another mop?"

I glanced at her as I worked the mop over the same mysterious brown stain I'd been working on for the last ten minutes, before she'd interrupted me.

"I'm almost done."

She clicked her tongue at me, before slipping out her phone. She sent Mickey a quick text.

"I can take the money to Wilson if you've got something," I offered.

She snorted, shooting me a doubtful look. "Ollie," she warned with a raised eyebrow.

"I could handle it." I scrubbed harder at the stain, trying to hurry.

"I'm sure you could." Rose hummed back.

"I could!"

"Mm hmm."

. . .

The lift doors opened with a ding, revealing the darkened corridor. Rose shot me a knowing glance and I ignored her, stepping off the lift.

"Wilson?" I called out, peeking to the left, then to the right. Something was off. I could see it floating in the air, a golden beacon against the all consuming darkness.

I gulped, taking another step further. Nothing's in the air, nothing's in the air, nothing's in the —

"Wilson, we've got the lottery money." Rose left the lift, walking up beside me.

We looked at each other, then towards his office. Rose nodded her head in its direction and I sighed.

Stepping further into the dark corridors of a basement? Wasn't my ideal way to end the work day. Wasn't my ideal way to end any day, really. Wasn't even an ideal way to end anything, except maybe a scene in a horror film.

We walked forward, stopping at the cluster of blue office doors. "Wilson," Rose knocked on one, "you there?" We sat in silence as we waited for an answer. "Look, we can't hang about 'cause they're closing the shop."

I tried the handle, but it was locked. Rose scratched at her nose, sniffing – her usual sign of impatience. "Wilson! Oh, come on."

We listened again.

From the opposite end of the corridor, a sudden sound – a shuffling of feet. Maybe it was Wilson. Maybe it was a serial killer, or maybe it was just a dolphin making its first steps on land. Improbable, but not impossible. That'd be best, Rose and I could hitch a ride out of here – no that's stupid. One can never be too trusting of a dolphin.

"Hello?" Rose called, taking a step forward only to be yanked back. She looked down at the hand gripping her sleeve and smirked.

I immediately released her. "Shut up."

She let the smirk slowly fall, and we turned our attention back to the sound. "Hello, Wilson, it's Rose and Ollie!"

She frowned at the silence that met her.

"Hello? Wil – Wilson?" I tried.

I ignored the darkness, squaring my shoulders and clenching my fists, as we continued down the corridor.

We stopped at the fire door. Rose looked down at me, but I paid her no mind, pushing the door open. I gulped at the complete darkness that met me.

She patted my shoulder, walking past me to turn the lights on. They clicked on one by one, lighting up the unused shop dummies.

"Oh, that doesn't help at all." I scowled, eyes jumping from one still body to the other. Working in a department store was a stupid idea.

Rose laughed at me before trudging forward. "Wilson?"

I followed after her, eying the dummies as I went. "Wilson?" I turned to Rose. "Is the lottery money really all that important?"

She shot me a look before calling again, "Wilson!"

We tried another door on the side. No go, locked. I sighed. "This is ridiculous – "

The fire door slammed shut.

I jumped, my head snapping in its direction.

Rose eyed me before running towards it, trying to pry it back open.

"That never works," I warned her, receiving a glare in return. "I'm telling you, this is right out of a horror flick."

"Hush, would you? Why do you even watch those bloody things?" She muttered, trying the door again, but they didn't budge. "Oh, you're kidding me!"

A clicking sound, like joints of two moving parts grinding into motion, came from behind us. I breathed out slowly. "This is all rather –"

"If you say perfect for a horror flick, I swear." Rose glared at me, nerves worked. Her glare lifted suddenly, eyes following something behind me. "Heh, You got me, Ollie, very funny."

"What?" I turned around, nearly swallowing my tongue at the sight of the moving shop dummy. I jumped back, almost colliding with Rose as two more moved towards us.

"Right, I've got the joke!" Rose caught me by the shoulders, turning me around. "You can call your little friends off, now."

"Rose," My voice was low. "You know I have no friends."

She blinked at me and gulped. "That's right. I forgot you're a social outcast."

She said, backing up and pulling me along with her. We watched as more and more dummies came to life.

"Derek," she tried."Derek, is it you?"

"He's not nearly creative enough to come up with living dummies."

She glared at me. "Not helping."

"Right, sorry." I muttered, holding tight to my sister's hand as we huddled back against the wall. "So what are they, then? Are they actually living dummies?"

"Students." She nodded. "Put my money on students."

I glanced at her, doubtful, but kept my mouth shut, more focused on the raised, plastic arm of one of the dummies in front of us.

"Is the dummy planning to use that thing as a weapon? How much damage can a hallow, plastic hand do, right? Shouldn't kill us, yeah?"

Rose flinched back as the arm came down.

"Run!"

I heard a masculine shout, and suddenly, Rose was jerking me to the side, pulling me with her as she, herself, was pulled from the room.

Before I even had time to blink, I found myself in a lift, the doors closing and a plastic arm being yanked off right in front of me. I let out a big puff of air, trying to catch hold of time once again – as well as my breath.

"You pulled his arm off!" Rose scowled in disgust.

"Yup, plastic" The man held it up before tossing it at us.

Rose caught it with ease. "Very clever, nice trick." Rose grinned. "Who are they then, students?"

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't blame Rose, though. She'd never been into the whole paranormal/sci-fi scene as much as I had. If she'd watched enough of the crap — let's be honest and admit that a majority of it is crap — like I had, she'd see that.

She was like Mum in that aspect, though. She wouldn't have noticed a monster if it pinched her on the nose and blew raspberries in her face.

He glanced back at her, arms crossed as we waited for the lift to rise. "Why would they be students?"

"I don't know."

"Well you said it. Why students?" He pushed.

She shrugged. "'Cause to get that many people dressed up, acting silly – I thought it was Ollie at first, but," She glanced down at me, eyes doing a quick scan for injury before looking back up at the man. "she's got the usual ghoul trick every now and then, but nothing this big, too many people to involve."

I sniffed indignantly. Sure, I liked my pranks, but I'd never fake a monster. Okay there was that one time when I'd caught her in the bathroom with Jimmy Stone, but it wasn't my fault I'd screamed like a banshee.

My poor virgin eyes had truly been scarred. Ick!

"Ollie? Who's Ollie?" He turned around, eyes landing on me for the first time. "Oh, hello. Didn't see you down there, and what's your name?" he bent down a little, hands on his knees as he grinned so wide his eyes almost closed.

I scowled at him. I was four eleven, but still. I had boobs. I had hips. I was not a child, despite my baby face.

"Right, Ollie. Of course. Knew that, just testing you. Well done."

Rose frowned at him. "Anyway, it's not Ollie, and it's not Derek –"

"Living dummies? Too imaginative. Best he could come up with is a fake spider or dead snake on a string." I added.

"So it's got to be students."

He straightened. "That makes sense, well done."

"Thanks –"

He turned back to the lift doors. "They're not students."

Rose shook it away. "Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police."

He rolled his eyes, turning around. "Who's Wilson?"

"Chief Electrician."

The lift doors slid open with a ding. "Wilson's dead." The man stepped out.

Rose and I shot each other a look before following him.

"That's just not funny. That's sick." Rose called after him.

"Hold on." He moved us to the side. "Mind your eyes." He slipped out some sort of light up tool, clicking it and buzzing it at the lift.

"What are you doing?" I asked, peeking over his shoulder despite the warning.

He didn't look back. "Disabling the lift."

"Why? You think those things are in mind enough to know how to work a lift? They're not just . . . zombie dummies? I mean I know they don't want our brains, but I mean . . . uh . . ."

He glanced back at me, slipping the tool in his coat. "How old did you say you were?" I crossed my arms at that. "Oh, no, never mind. Unimportant."

And then, once again, we were off, turning down another corridor. Rose called after him, the two of us following behind without much choice.

"Those _things_," He air quoted. "are made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this."

He pulled out a bomb, at least I think it was a bomb – it looked like a bomb.

"So!" He opened the fire exist. "I'm going to go up there and blow them up," Yep, bomb. "and I might well die in the process. But don't worry about me, no. Go home, go on! Go and have your lovely beans on toast."

I scrunched my nose at that as we were guided through the door.

"Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed."

He shut the door behind himself. Rose and I glanced at each other, slightly bewildered, before hearing the door open. "I'm the Doctor by the way. And . . .?" He raised his brows.

"Rose," She offered.

"Nice to meet you Rose," he nodded at me, "Ollie." He waved the bomb. "Run for your lives."

. . .

"So we don't have jobs anymore." I noted, staring unseeingly at the television screen. Rose hummed from beside me, just as dazed. "At least we weren't fired this time, right? I mean, it'll look better on our next job hunt."

Rose snorted. "Right."

"I know, it's on the telly!" Mum shuffled in from the kitchen, phone pressed to her ear. "It's everywhere! They're lucky to be alive!"

She handed Rose the mug of tea she'd asked for. "Honestly, it's aged her. Skin like an old bible. He's walking in now – you'd think I was HER daughter! And Ollie – looks like she even lost a few years, but right as rain – as always."

She pinched my cheek and I rolled my eyes. "and here comes Mickey . . ."

"I've been phoning your mobile!" Mickey rushed in, not bothering to shut the door. Mum kicked it closed with the back of her foot, sending him a look before heading back into the kitchen. "You could have been dead! It's on the news and everything."

He fell to his knees in front of us and I maneuvered around and under him as he went to lean across me. I did not need his crotch in my face.

I stood in front of the telly, sighing as I grabbed the remote to turn it down for them.

"I'm alright, honestly," Rose reassured him. "I'm fine! Don't make a fuss."

"But, what happened?" He sat back, completely taking my spot.

"I don't know!" Rose looked up at me and we rolled our eyes at each other.

"What was it though, what caused it?"

"We weren't in the shop," I quickly lied.

Rose nodded. "We were outside."

Mum came back in the room, phone in hand. "It's Debbie on the other end, she knows a man from the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview!"

"Oh that's brilliant! Give it here!" Rose snatched the phone and ended the call, slamming it on the table.

"Well, you've gotta find some way of making money. Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out."

Rose scoffed. "What about Ollie, then? You gonna bail her out?"

Mum glanced at me before looking back at Rose. "What?"

She groaned, throwing the pillow I'd tossed at her face back at me. I dodged it, sticking my tongue out at Rose as it landed back on the chair – just a little more askew.

Mum rolled her eyes right before the phone rang again, and she quickly answered. "Beth! They're alive!"

We could still hear her, even after she went into the kitchen. "I tell ya, sue for compensation! They were within seconds of death . . ."

Rose groaned in frustration, sitting up.

Mickey plucked the tea cup from her hand. "What're you drinking? Tea? No, no no, that's no good, that's no good. You're in shock, you need something stronger." He grabbed her hand.

"I'm all right."

"You deserve a proper drink, you and me, we're going down to the pub, my treat. How about it?"

I smirked. "Who's playing tonight?"

Mickey scowled at me, quickly smiling as he turned to Rose, sitting back down beside her. "No, no! I'm just thinking about you, babe!"

She grinned. "There's a match on, ain't there."

He tilted his head, shooting Rose his puppy eyes. That's how she'd agreed to go out with him in the first place, those darn puppy eyes. "Well, that's not the point. We could catch the last five minutes."

"Go on then. I'm fine, really. Go. Go."

"Ah," I called after him. "before you go," I picked up the plastic arm, tossing it at his chest.

He caught it, eyebrows raised. "What's this then?"

Rose grimaced at the thing in his hands. "Just get rid of it, will you? It's creeping me out."

He pretended to think about it before grinning at Rose and pointing to his lips.

I quickly turned, already knowing what was coming next. I just couldn't watch PDA. Ugh, nasty stuff. I ignored the snogging noises from behind me, keeping my eyes trained on the grainy vision of the burning Henrick's.

Mickey shuffled past me, almost tripping as Rose stuck her leg out. They laughed as he made it to the door, waving the plastic arm.

They said their quick goodbyes, Mickey doing another plastic arm quip before leaving. She smiled goofily after him.

Rose caught me looking at her, my eyebrows raised.

She rolled her eyes with a blush. "Shut up."

. . .

"You'd sleep through an earthquake, you would."

I rolled over, groaning as I pushed Rose's hand off my shoulder. "What do you want? I can finally sleep in, why are you ruining this for me?"

The bed squeaked as she sat down. "He was just here. The Doctor! That bloody plastic arm had somehow made it back to the flat. He followed it. It attacked us – oh, which reminds me, we have to replace the table."

I sat up at that, frowning.

Rose saw my look. "Fell on it. Almost died. But anyway, they're living plastic. He said they're controlled by uh . . . thought control. He cut off the signal to the arm, but that's not the end of it." She grinned.

"So he lived then?" I blinked sleepily up at her. "After the explosion?"

She blinked back. "Yeah, but did you hear me? It's not the end of it."

I nodded, "That's good then." I sighed. "So why, exactly, did you wake me up?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I need to use a computer."

"I don't have a computer." I deadpanned.

She sighed. "I know that! I'm going to Mickey's. You should come. You wanna come?"

"I think we both know I have no choice in the matter."

Rose grinned.

. . .

"You're not coming in! He's safe, he's got a wife and kids."

"Yeah but who told you that? He did. That's exactly what an Internet lunatic murderer would say."

I rolled my eyes, getting out of the small yellow car before I had to hear anymore. Clive was fine – missing a few nuts and bolts, if our one phone conversation had anything to say about it, but fine. He was no psychopath. Those were easy to spot a mile away.

I waited for Rose to join me before I knocked. A boy of about eleven or twelve answered the door.

"Uh, hello, I've come to see Clive?" Rose smiled. "We've been emailing."

"Dad! It's a couple of your nutters!"

I frowned, but let it slip as an older man appeared at the door.

"Sorry. Hello. You must be Rose and Olivia. I'm Clive. Obviously!" He laughed.

"I better tell you now, my boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill us."

I rolled my eyes at Rose's warning, but said nothing.

He laughed. "No, good point. No murders." He waved to Mickey, who sent him a short nod.

"Who is it?" There was a call from upstairs.

"Oh it's something to do with the Doctor! They've been reading the website."

A curly haired woman bounced down the stairs, washing basket clutched in her hands.

"They? There's more than one?" She glanced at me. "And they're girls?"

Clive turned to us, "Please come through, I'm in the shed," before guiding us towards the back of the house.

I heard his wife give an amused chuckle, shutting the door behind us.

. . .

It was probably rude to stare, but — Clive was a fanboy. A huge one, at that. Holy cow. There were papers littered all over the place, each one somehow pertaining to the Doctor.

There were pictures tacked to the walls and strings of some hanging from the ceiling. Clive may not have been a murderous psychopath, but he sure was obsessed enough to be mistaken as one.

"A lot of this stuff's quite sensitive, I couldn't just send it to you. People might intercept it, if you know what I mean."

He walked over to a book shelf. "If you dig deep enough – keep a lively mind – this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories. Even ghost stories. No first name, no last name. Just _The Doctor_. Always The Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son, it appears to be an inheritance. That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

He pointed to a photo of the Doctor on a computer screen behind us.

"Yeah." Rose answered, looking at the sign, reading 'DOCTOR WHO?' above his head.

I frowned, glancing at the fuzzy picture before my eyes fell back on the man standing before us. There was something off about him – something lingering, just along the surface. I could see it.

Rose and Mum had always scolded me for my active imagination. But I was sure of this – I could see something floating around this man, like dust particles caught in a ray of sunlight. I tilted my head, staring at the sight.

Just like in the basement. Just like Jimmy Stone. Just like Rebecca and Paisley. Just like the moment right before I fell off that tree in grade 6.

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive last year. The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original . . ."

He opened the book he'd taken from the shelf, pointing to some photographs of a parade. I immediately recognized the surroundings. The crowd of people stood, watching JFK moments before he was assassinated. There was one man, however, I recognized. The Doctor.

"November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy."

Rose squinted at the photograph. "Must be his father."

"Going further back," Clive continued. "April 1912." He took out another photo album, flipping it open.

"This is a photo of the Daniels family, Southampton. And friend." He pointed to the Doctor, standing with them. "This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World. On the Titanic."

"Sail to the new world? Wasn't the Titanic just a cruise ship?"

Though, to be fair, I'd never watched the movie or bothered to read up on it.

Clive blinked at me. "And for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived. And," He pulled out a sketch. "1883. Another Doctor. And look – the same lineage. He's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history."

"So this would be the proof of time travel then, yeah?" I asked, flipping the sketch over to see just how old the paper was. "Like that photograph they found of the woman talking on her mobile, years before the things were even invented."

"It only proves one thing." He looked down at me, face serious. "When disaster comes, he's there. He has a storm in his wake. And he has one constant companion."

"Who's that?" Rose asked.

He looked to her. "Death."

Rose glanced at me, searching for my reaction. I looked back at her, doubt clear on my face.

"If the Doctor's back," Clive continued. "if you've seen him, then one thing's for certain, we're all in danger. If he's singled you out — if the Doctor's making house calls — then God help you."

He was talking like the Doctor was the bringer of death, himself. I just couldn't believe that. He didn't have the same aura other people had, sure. But he wasn't bad. I knew that deep in my gut.

"Who is he?" Rose looked at the older man. "Who do you think he is?"

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal. I think he's an alien from another world."

. . .

I hung back when Rose started for the door. It wasn't so concrete, these glowing particles around the people I'd lived around. But every time they showed up, it meant something. Something would always change. Good or bad.

Rose and Jimmy broke up. Rebecca and Paisley decided I was too weird to stay friends with. When I fell off the tree in grade 6 and developed a slight limp. When I met the Doctor.

So something was bound to happen today to this man, and I couldn't help but think of the warning the Doctor had given us.

"Clive, before I leave," I guided him off to the side.

He looked down at me questioningly.

"Don't go off today, yeah? Just stay home. Enjoy your family and watch some telly."

. . .

"Alright! He's a nutter! Off his head! COMPLETE online conspiracy freak. You win!" Rose groaned, getting into Mickey's car.

I rolled my eyes, opening the door and getting in the back. "That's a little harsh. I won't be surprised if the Doctor really does turn out to be alien. He may look human, but actions speak louder than words, Rose."

She scoffed at me, crossing her arms. "Yeah, right."

"No, really. The Doctor not only knew about those living plastic things, but knew how to get rid of them, doing so without a single thought about his own well being. Was willing to blow up right with Henrick's. You know who that sounds like?"

Rose turned in her seat. "Who?"

"Superman, and he's an alien."

"Superman isn't real, Ollie."

"I'm not saying he is Superman – of course he isn't, Superman is super against killing, and blowing up a department store to get rid of all the monsters inside definitely counts as killing. I'm just saying, The Doctor being an alien isn't that far of a stretch."

"Of course it wouldn't be a stretch for the girl who believes in Sasquatch." Rose rolled her eyes, then turned to Mickey. "What're we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza." She turned to me. "You okay with pizza, yeah?"

I shrugged, pouting. "Mmhmm."

"Pizzaaa!" Mickey called from the driver's seat. "P-p-p-pizza!"

. . .

I'd never had such a rocky car ride before. Mickey was usually a very calm driver – swerved every now and then when he was caught up in conversation, but followed the laws of the road for the most part.

I eyed him from beside Rose, just then noticing his squeaky shine. Like the majority of yesterday and today, something was off.

I looked down at my pizza. It was my favourite, cheese, ham, and pineapple – extra pineapple. Yet, I'd only taken a single bite. A small bite, at that, and I was full as can be, sick even.

Too many things were going wacky, that must be it. One day, all the monsters are between pages and behind television screens, and the next, they're up and walking – maybe even sitting right in front of me. It was a lot to take in, enough to fill up a stomach for days.

I turned my attention to Rose, watching her face for a sign, any sign that she could see what I was seeing.

She must had noticed something, Mickey was her boyfriend after all.

If she did, she wasn't being obvious about it. "Do you think I should try the hospital? Suki said they had a few jobs going in the canteen. That's it then . . ." She glanced at me. "dishing out chips — I could do A Levels."

"We'll think of something, Rose." I reassured her. "Maybe we could take a break, I have some money saved up. We could go on a road trip," I glanced at Mickey and back again. "just the two of us." I smiled.

Rose sighed. "I dunno. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up.

She turned to Mickey."What do you think?"

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" He answered.

"Sorry, weren't we talking about me for a second?" She glared back.

"Because, I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Is he something to do with that?"

"No . . ."

"Come on."

Rose hesitated. "Sort of."

"What was he doing there?" He persisted.

"I don't think it's any of your business." I sneered.

"Ollie," Rose nudged me, surprised. She turned back to him. "I'm not going on about him, Mickey. I'm not, because I know it sounds daft but," She crossed her arms. "I don't think he's safe. I think he's dangerous."

"I don't think he's the one we should be worried about right now." I shifted closer to Rose.

Mickey smiled. "But you can trust me sweetheart! Babe – sugar – darling – sugar," his voice glitched like an old computer game with a very big scratch on the disc.

Rose shot me a questioning look before looking back at him. "You can tell me anything." Mickey continued. "Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really wanna do – sweetheart – babe – sugar – sweetheart."

Rose looked just as worried as I felt. "What're you doing that for?"

The heavy thumping footsteps of boots carried its way to my ears with ease. Mickey's odd behaviour had spun my body into high alert. My ears were perked to attention, searching for the sure sign of danger. I could almost hear his northern accent before he even spoke. "Your champagne."

"We didn't order any champagne." Mickey grabbed Rose's hand. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Ma'am." He moved to Rose. "Your champagne."

"It's not ours." She waved him off. "Mickey, what is it?" She moved closer. "What's wrong?"

I sighed. This could only be one thing, right? If living plastic could mimic mannequins, why couldn't they do the same thing to people? Why Mickey though? Why go through Mickey just to get information on The Doctor when they could go through someone like the Prime Minister and take over the whole country?

That meant only one thing, didn't it? The Doctor was more important than the whole United Kingdom.

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?"

"Look, we didn't order a – " Plastic Mickey looked up, exasperated and ready to throw someone if need be, but paused. A slow wiry grin slid onto his face. "Ah. Gotcha."

I rolled my eyes. "'bout time." I stood, knowing to get out of the way. The Doctor was an action sort of guy. I knew that the second he told us to run.

Like I predicted, the Doctor jumped into action, shaking the wine bottle. "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple – " He paused, glancing at me. "and guest. On the house!"

He popped the cork and it shot off, hitting the Mickey Dummy right in the centre of the forehead. The plastic skin opened up, sucking the cork inside with a pop. It wasn't until he spit the cork out his mouth, that I saw it register on Rose's face that Mickey was no longer himself.

I sighed. This was all a whole lot more annoying in the day time . . . and when it was my sister's boyfriend.

Mickey's hand grew, twisting and morphing into what looked like a giant spatula.

I grabbed Rose, yanking her away from the table as he brought his spatula hand down, cracking the wood into pieces.

Rose went straight for the fire alarm.

I smiled.

And we're back. 'Bout time.

The Doctor rushed forward, yanking on Mickey's head until it popped off.

It blinked up at him. "Don't think that's gonna stop me."

People screamed, not at the giant spatula hand, but at the headlessness of its owner. Or perhaps both.

I kicked the the dummy hard enough to make him stumble. The Doctor grinned. Rose yelled for an evacuation. People scattered like spooked antelope.

"Move it, people! Giant spatula hands are not as fun to deal with as they are to talk about." I called out, running behind the Doctor towards the kitchens with Rose coming up behind me.

We made it to the exit, Rose shooting for the gates. I stood outside with my hands in my pockets, watching the Doctor try to lock the doors.

Rose banged against the locked gates with a groan. "Olivia May if you don't come help me, I swear – Doctor open the gate! Use that tube thing – Olivia!"

"Chill, Rose. If it can get through a locked door it can get through a gate."

"We can't just stand here. At least if we get through the gate we'll buy us some time!"

"Tell ya what," The Doctor walked up behind us, ceasing our argument. "let's go in here." He nodded towards a box off in middle of the yard.

It wasn't a box, box. Like one with package peanuts. It was . . . like a phone booth, but not red and – well there were doors. And it was blue. And there was a sign.

"Police box?" I read aloud, walking up to it. "Like those things from the fifties? Where they just locked criminals in wooden boxes 'cause they were too lazy to walk all the way back to the station?"

He walked forward with a grin and unlocked it. "Sort of, yeah."

The banging from the restaurant's exit door increased. With a panicked look, Rose ran over. "We can't hide inside a wooden box!"

I shrugged. "Why not? A wooden box is better than open space. Not like the gate's just gonna unlock itself."

She glared from me to the Doctor. "If you'd just use your tube thingy –" She waved a hand at him.

"What, this?" He held up said tube thingy. "This is a sonic screwdriver."

"Well, use it!"

"Hmm." He nodded to the Police Box's doors. "How 'bout we go in here first?"

I rolled my eyes at her hesitance and latched onto her arm. "Come on Drama Queen. Doctor's orders."

I opened the doors to the police box and dragged her inside after me.

I stopped short, staring up at the site before me. "I was expecting some antique gadgets good for holding perps and brewing coffee, and maybe keeping the donuts warm, but this is ridiculous."

I turned to Rose, but she was gone. The Doctor walked in, Mickey's plastic head tucked under his arm like an American football.

"It's gonna follow us!" Rose rushed back through the doors and slammed them shut behind her.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute."

He rushed to the huge doohickey in the middle of the room, grabbing at wires and plugging them into the base of the plastic head. "You see, the arm is too simple, but the head's perfect."

I glanced at Rose and frowned at the look on her face. Oh boy. Not good. I walked over, throwing an arm around her waste. She latched on.

"I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right!" He spun around, switching his attention from the plastic imposter, to us. "Where do you want to start?"

"Um . . ." Rose swallowed thickly. "the inside's bigger than the outside?"

He nodded. "Yes."

I threw up a hand. "It's alien!" I grinned. "Tell me it's alien – it is isn't it?"

He grinned. "Yup."

Rose frowned up at him. "Are you alien?"

His face turned serious. "Yes – Is that alright?

"Yeah."

"Duh!"

He gave us a small smile, crossing his arms. "It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Rose pulled out of my arms, turning around to face the wall. A small sob came from her general direction.

I frowned, rubbing circles on her back.

"That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us." The Doctor waved it off.

She whipped around. "Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh . . ." His mouth popped open. "didn't think of that."

Rose growled. "He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"

I turned to Rose and huddled in. It was a thing we tended to do. The world got too . . . worldly, so we'd revert into our own little space. It was small and cozy and full of Tyler sister limbs. We wrapped arms around each other and Rose bent to my height.

"I'm sure he's fine, Rose." I spoke quietly. "He's Mickey. He's like a cockroach, that boy."

She snorted, sniffling into my hair. "That's my boyfriend you're talking about." Her head popped up, and we disentangled. "What're you doing?"

The Doctor didn't pause, still running around his alien technological doohickey thing. "Reviving the signal, it's fading! Wait I've got it – " He checked a screen. "No, No, No, No, No, No, NO!" The TARDIS gave a ghastly shake, a whirring of sorts starting somewhere below our feet. "Almost there! Almost there! Here we go!"

We were jerked forward, the engines settling and coming to a stop. The Doctor rushed past, throwing open the doors.

"You can't go out there, it's not safe!" Rose followed after him.

"Oh look, the London Eye. Anyone fancy a quick ferris wheel ride?" I popped my head out. I was met with a tense silence. "No one?" I shrugged and stepped out.

The Doctor stood with his hands on the railing, looking out at the body of water below the bridge we'd landed on. "I lost the signal, I got so close."

"We've moved!" Rose glanced around. "Does it fly?"

He waved her off. "Disappears there, reappears here, you wouldn't understand."

"But if we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose."

"It melted with the head, are you going to witter on all night?"

I glared, stepping forward with every intention to dump the alien right into the Thames.

"I'll have to tell his mother . . ."

I paused, sighed, and went to Rose's side.

No recollection showed on the Doctor's face.

Rose noticed. "Mickey! I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!"

He rolled his eyes.

She frowned. "You were right, you ARE alien."

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey . . ."

I had to hold Rose back. "Yeah, he's not a kid – "

He raised his voice. "It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?!"

"Alright!"

"Yes! It is!"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, children –"

"Oh what are _you_, then, twelve?" He glanced up and down my body for emphasis.

I gasped. "I will kick you over the railing. Don't test me, alien man!"

Rose shook her head, tugging me back. "If you are an alien, then how come you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a North." He shrugged and looked away from us.

I sighed, getting exactly what Rose was doing. "That's not really a police box, is it?"

He smiled at said box, patting its wooden exterior with a gentle hand. "It's a disguise."

Rose smiled, shaking her head. "Okay. And this living plastic – "

I turned to the Doctor. "what's it have against us?"

"Nothing, it loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air — perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth – dinner!"

"What war?"

The Doctor shot me a sad look, shaking his head.

"Any way of stopping it?" Rose asked, finally letting me go.

I shifted from one foot to the other. "Ask it nicely?"

The Doctor grinned at me before pulling a tube from his pocket. He shook it, the blue liquid inside of it swishing around. "Anti-plastic!"

I snorted.

He gave me a look. "It doesn't translate well to English."

"What was it again?" I smirked at Rose.

She shot me a crooked grin. "Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic, right. Anti . . . plastic. That blue stuff is . . . well it's anti plastic – like the name. Good name, by the way, Doctor. Very straight forward. What does the anti-plastic do? It goes against the plastic! What else?"

Rose snorted, shoving me. "You think you're so funny."

I shoved back, sticking my tongue out. "I _am_ so funny."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, before continuing his original train of thought. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on, hide what?" Rose moved, making me go off balance when I went to shove at her again.

"The transmitter." The Doctor answered, attention away from our sisterly bickering. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal.

I stepped next to Rose, looking up at the Doctor. "Never seen one before. What's an alien transmitter supposed to look like?"

"Like a transmitter." He waved me off.

"Well I've never seen one o' those either."

"Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London."

I blinked at him. Rose blinked at him. He paced back and forth, obviously not getting what we were.

"Round and massive?" I smirked.

"Yes. A huge circular metal structure — like a dish."

"Or like a wheel, yeah?" Rose winked at me.

"And close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

We both looked behind him, smirking at the London Eye behind his back.

He followed our looks to the massive Ferris Wheel, then looked back at us. "What?"

We nodded towards the London Eye. He turned around and back again. "What is it? What?"

Rose and I just blinked up at the ferris wheel. He turned around again, looking up at the London Eye.

"Oh . . ." He grinned. "Fantastic."

He grinned inanely and ran off, slipping each of our hands in his to pull us along.

. . .

"Think of it. Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables . . ."

"The breast implants," Rose added.

I smirked. "The dildos — ow!"

Rose pulled her hand away and looked down at me with smirking lips. "Language."

I rolled my eyes, grumbling.

"Still," The Doctor interrupts. "we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

"Wait a tic," Rose ran off, towards the edge of the bridge. "What about down here?"

We ran to join her. She was looking down at a manhole.

I looked down at myself, pursing my lips at my wide hips and belly. I was a pear shape through and through and loved sweets just a little too much.

"Don't know if I'll fit."

Rose smacked my arm. "You'll fit, you goof."

I shrugged. "Looks alright to me, then."

The Doctor grinned at us. "Well done."

. . .

"Oh wow."

I climbed down the short staircase. The whole place was lit up with an orange glow. It all looked like something out of a —

"If you're thinking this looks like a horror flick, I'll smack ya."

I grinned sheepishly at Rose, shuffling closer to the Doctor. Leaning heavily on the railing, I looked out at the wide example of London's underbelly.

I couldn't help but stare down at the molten wobbling mass way down below us. "That's it, yeah?"

The Doctor grinned with a nod. "The Nestene Consciousness. A living, plastic creature."

"Well, then." Rose let out a sharp breath, the heat wetting her temples. "Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

"No, wait!" I pulled on the Doctor's sleeve. "They could be talked down, though right? We don't have to kill them?" I look back to the rolling lava. I didn't think the Nestene Consciousness would be so pretty.

"I'm not here to kill it." He looked from me to Rose. "I've got to give it a chance."

He rushed down the second flight of stairs, spinning to a stop at the gate holding us all back from the terrible fall down below. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract. According to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The creature waved like a small tide and gave out a low groan.

"Thank you. That I might have permission to approach?"

Rose rushed past us and when I looked up to see where she was going, I found her next to a very alive Mickey. I breathed in a sigh of relief.

Of course, I had a feeling he was going to be okay. Those pesky particles hadn't shown up around him. But they had shown up for the past two days straight. I couldn't be sure.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the two, walking towards more stairs. I followed after him.

. . .

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?"

The Doctor walked onto the ledge, me following after him. I couldn't stop myself from peering over the edge, thrilling chills running up my spine despite the heat.

The Consciousness gurgled and wobbled in acknowledgement.

"Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect," He gave a shit eating grin. "that you shunt off?"

I groaned, slapping my palm to my head. "Probably not the nicest way you could have said that, Doc."

I was ignored, of course.

The Consciousness gave an earth shattering screech. The glow flickering and casting the underground in malicious shadows.

"Oh don't give me that! It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights."

Once again, the earth shook with their ire.

"I. AM. TALKING" The Doctor roared.

The consciousness reared back.

I couldn't help but stare up at the Doctor in all his righteously angry glory.

"This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go —"

"Doctor, Olivia!"

Hard hands wrapped around my arms, synching them behind my back. I struggled, though to no avail.

The Doctor was in very much the same shape as I was.

I watched, almost, in slow motion as the one of the mannequins holding us back slipped the vial of anti-plastic from the Doctor's jacket pocket.

"That was just insurance!" The Doctor struggled anew, glancing at me with worry written all over his face. "I wasn't going to _use_ it."

The Nestene Consciousness growled in response.

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not."

The Consciousness roared.

"What do you mean?"

The door above us screeched open, revealing the TARDIS.

"Oh, oh no. Honestly, no!" The Doctor shook his head. "Yes, that's my ship —"

He got a vicious growl from the Consciousness.

"That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault!"

They roared back.

"I couldn't save your world!" His voice cracked. "I couldn't save any of them!"

I gave up struggling, the bruises on my arms a great deterrent. All I could do was watch the Doctor struggle and try to reason with the Nestene Consciousness.

Rose leaned over the railing, "What's it doing?"

The Doctor looked back at her. "It's the TARDIS! The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final base. It's starting the invasion —"

I trembled at the thought. "Get out! Rose, just take Mickey and run. Please!"

But Rose didn't move. She just gave me a frightened look and slipped her cell from her pocket. "Mum?"

That's all I heard before the Consciousness started its screaming again.

Lightening like I'd never seen shot up through an opening in the ceiling. The London Eye came into view, lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"It's the activation signal! It's transmitting!"

I stared up at the Doctor. Was this really it, then? I meet this mad man, get the most exciting two days of my life, all just to die? Was that all there was to my life?"

"Get out, Rose! Just leg it. Run!" The Doctor shouted.

I watched in horror as cement crumbled from the ceiling, smashing onto the ground and blocking the exit.

Rose reared back and started running the other way. "The stairs have gone!"

Rose shoved Mickey towards the TARDIS, a determined look on her face.

"I'm not leaving you, Ollie."

"You have to!" my struggling spirit was finally renewed. "Rose don't be a hero, just get out!"

Rose just watched as the Doctor struggled towards the anti-plastic. Then her eyes lit up.

And like every time I'd ever seen her eyes get that shine to them, I knew she had a plan. Except, this time, those pesky golden particles were surrounding her like a shield.

I watched in awe as my sister moved into action. She picked up an emergency axe on the wall, her voice loud. "I've got no A Levels. No job. No future." She Hacked at the chains hooked to the wall. "But I tell you what I have got." She gave another hack. "Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team."

The chains broke loose and Rose grabbed ahold. "I got the bronze!"

I could only stare and watch as my sister swung across the Nestene's vat.

Right towards me.

I bent down as low as I could and Rose kicked the dummy holding both me and the vial of anti-plastic.

The doctor took the distraction and flipped his own captor over the edge and into the vat of plastic lava.

Rose swung back, wide eyed and terrified of falling. I ran for her, throwing my body towards hers to stop her descent. We crashed, Rose on top of me.

I groaned.

Rose jumped up and gave me a hand.

"Thanks." I paused really looking at her. The particles had gone away, so whatever was done was done. "Really Rosie."

Because she could have left.

. . .

The three of us — Mickey, Rose, and me — stumbled out of the TARDIS and into a London back alley.

Mickey, probably still terrified and carrying a new dose of PTSD, rushed away from the TARDIS and the Doctor, who'd yet to come out.

Rose hung up her phone call to mum and marched over to him. "Fat lot of good you were."

Mickey whimpered, voice lost in fright.

Finally, the Doctor appeared, lingering at the doorway of the TARDIS. "Nestene Consciousness?" He snapped his fingers. "Easy."

"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." Rose teased.

"Yes, I would. Thank you."

After a pause, she sobered up, face falling. "Oh Ollie." She rushed to my side, giving the both of us a long needed hug. "You almost died."

I grinned, pulling away. "But I didn't."

"Right then," The Doctor interrupted. "I'll be off!" He clapped his hands together awkwardly, watching the two of us. "Unless, uh . . ." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, you could come with me."

I looked up expectantly at Rose, waiting for her answer. On one hand, she deserved the excitement and adventure that awaited her should she choose to leave with the Doctor.

On the other, I just really didn't want my sister to leave me. Especially, when I so wanted to be in her place, exploring the universe.

"Don't!" Mickey pointed at him. "He's an alien! He's a thing!"

I shoved Mickey. "He's still a living, breathing life, you git."

The Doctor scowled at Mickey. "He's NOT invited." He smiled at me before looking back at Rose. "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh," The Doctor licked his teeth almost knowingly. "anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Rose glanced at Mickey, who wrapped his arms around her like a kid. Then she glanced at me and her face fell. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it didn't hold.

"Yeah, I can't. Ollie and me, we go everywhere together." She held her hand out to me and I took it. "We're twins, you know."

He gave us a disbelieving look.

"Fraternal," I added, scratching at my cheek. "We go everywhere together. Like the shining — ow!"

"Stop that, would you?" Rose pursed her lips, trying not to crack a smile.

I shrugged.

The Doctor gave me a long look. From the tips of my toes to the top of my head, searching. He paused at my eyes. "Should've known you weren't so young. Can see it in your eyes, now that I look." He grinned, "the invitation was for the both of you, ya know."

My eyes widened and I pointed at myself. "Me? But I didn't do anything."

"Sure you did. Helped save the world."

"We still can't. We've got our mum." Rose squeezed my hand and I sighed. "And someone's gotta look after this stupid lump." She laughed, patting Mickey's head.

"Okay, see you around."

The Doctor gave us one last appraising look before he turned around and went into his TARDIS, the door shutting behind him with a definitive click.

The engines revved up, and a sound like no other sounded around the alley. Then the TARDIS was gone.

"Come on Ollie," Rose grabbed my hand again, trying to tug me along. I wouldn't budge. "Let's go."

"But Rose —"

"No buts, Olivia. We can't."

"But you want to."

We stared at each other, challenging. Rose cracked first, scrubbing a hand down her face. "We can't —"

That sound. THE sound. It rang like church bells in my ears as the TARDIS rematerialized.

The Doctor popped his head out with a grin. "By the way, did I mention? It also travels in time."

He gave us a knowing look, before walking back into the TARDIS with the door left open and waiting.

I looked up at Rose, eyes begging. She grinned back, tongue between her teeth.


	2. The End of the World

Two

"Right then, Tyler twins, you tell me." The Doctor bounced a red glass orb in his hand. "Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?"

"Forwar —"

"What's that?" I pointed to the ball.

He caught it midair. "Oh this? Piece of the TARDIS." He placed it down on the console and gingerly pat the glowing green column beside him.

I nodded towards it, bubbling with a long ago forgotten childish glee. "and that?"

"Time Rotor."

I pointed behind him "And tha —"

"One hundred years!" Rose nudged me in the side, asserting her will against mine as though we were children once again.

She sent me _the _look. The one that meant I was grinding on people's nerves and sending out weirdo vibes.

The Doctor just grinned down at us and pulled a lever. The TARDIS shook, that familiar revving sound echoing off the walls. The floors rumbled. Then everything settled into a quiet hum.

"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century."

Rose's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

My eyes widened and I bounced closer to the Doctor, imploring. "Can we go further?"

He grinned and spun a wheel, twisted a big knob, then pushed a button. The TARDIS had moved once again. "Ten thousand years in the future." He pointed towards the doors. "Step outside, it's the year twelve thousand and five, the new Roman Empire."

Rose laughed. "You think you're so impressive."

"I _am_ so impressive."

I snorted. "It's the TARDIS that's impressive — massive beauty that she is."

He narrowed his eyes at us. "Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!"

. . .

The TARDIS doors opened to reveal the future. The future, turned out, was an observation room. It was cold in a spartan way, with light cedar against cool metal. It was empty, save for the view.

"You lot," The Doctor's voice was a warming caress against the chill of the room. "you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids."

I moved forward, pressing my nose up against the glass to get a better look at the round, lush planet. My planet. Earth. How I'd never seen it.

"But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day," He turned his wrist over, glancing at his watch. "Hold on."

The Sun, right behind the Earth, burned bright. Fire flickered out, dancing upon its surface. I could almost feel the heat as it brightened and brightened and brightened. Alarm bells were ringing in my ears. Being this close to the sun, I never even imagined the possibility.

Finally, I could look no more and instead looked towards the Doctor.

"This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

. . .

We followed the Doctor further into the space station, when really, all I wanted to do was go back into the TARDIS and pretend my world wasn't a breath's way away from total destruction. Something about it was wrong. Every time the Earth caught my eye, another world was in it's place, burning and screaming and begging for mercy.

"So when it says guests," Rose gestured with her hands like she was wont to do. "does that mean people?"

I forced a grin as I looked up expectantly at the Doctor. "_Alien_ people?"

He nodded. "Aliens."

I shook off my thoughts and just let the moment consume me. It wasn't so hard, considering I was about to meet aliens. The Doctor didn't count. Not really. He just seemed too normal for me to look at him and think '_alien.'_

I squealed, trying to restrain myself from jumping up and down, but bobbing anyway.

Rose looked at me with a barely contained smile while the Doctor full out grinned.

"Is this a space station?"

"And what are they doing here?"

"Yeah, what's it for?"

The Doctor gave the both of us a soft little smile as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and messed with the door lock. "Technically. Really, it's an observation deck."

I nodded. "Makes sense. With all the big windows and all."

"The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

I grimaced. "That's a little morbid, isn't it?"

"What for?" Rose asked.

"Fun."

The door slid open.

This room was even grander than the last. The view stretched from the wall in front of us, all the way to the doors behind us. The whole room glowed from the ever expanding sun.

"Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich."

"But, hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra —"

"You actually watched that? I didn't think you were paying attention."

"I can text and watch TV at the same time, Ollie."

I shrugged, looking up at the Doctor as we moved further into the room. "So yeah, it takes millions of years, they said."

Rose nodded. "And the planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things."

"The planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there?" He pointed. "Gravity satellites holding back the sun and shifting the continents back in order. That's a classic Earth." He sighed. "But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

Rose looked at him, face pinched. "How long's it got?"

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted."

"There's no way there's still anybody on Earth, right?"

I moved closer to the window as if I could confirm it with my eyes all the way from here. I expected the screams — could almost here it if I closed my eyes — but there was nothing. Just a hollow feeling in my chest.

"Or is that why we're here?" Rose moved to stand beside me, taking my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the earth?"

The Doctor shook his head and came up to stand beside us. "No one left to save."

Rose looked torn between relief and sadness. "Just us then."

It was my turn to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. I threaded our fingers together, tugging until she looked down at me.

I smiled and she smiled back.

. . .

"Who the hell are you?" A man bluer than the TARDIS strode up to us, a beautiful oval gem set into his forehead.

The Doctor turned. "Oh that's nice, thanks."

I snorted.

"But how did you get in?" the blue man continued. "This is a maximum hospitality zone."

"Pretty hostile greeting for a place claiming to be hospitable."

Rose shushed me and I rolled my eyes.

"The guests have disembarked." He sounded almost panicked at our sudden arrival. "They're on their way any second now."

The Doctor dug into his pocket, pulling out a small, black, flip wallet. "That's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation." He showed him the paper inside. "Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see?" He said in a soothing voice, instantly calming the man. "The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor. This is Rose and Olivia Tyler. They're my plus two. Is that all right?"

"Well, obviously." He looked over the three of us and cleared his throat. "Apologies, et cetera."

The Doctor grinned and nodded.

"If you're on board," He continued, "we'd better start. Enjoy."

The improbably blue man walked away.

The Doctor leaned down to Rose and me, voice quiet as he showed us the inside of the wallet. "The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"How does it work?"

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Like," I shrugged. "You said an invitation. How does it know who to psychic off of? You want to show an invitation and he's expecting a certain one."

"It goes off what I want him to see, it doesn't have to be specif —"

"We have in attendance," The Steward said from his podium. "The Doctor and Rose and Olivia Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions."

He clapped and little blue people in black suits and helmets shuffled out.

"Hurry now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along."

They followed instruction, lining up along the walls and out in the corridor.

Rose nudged me in the side. "Look, it's your people."

I scowled. "I'm not _that_ short."

Then I spotted a taller one off to the side and shut my trap. Damn it.

"And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa."

In walked Royalty. Or at least, that's the air they gave off. A queen and her loyal knights. All three had bark for skin, yet somehow the female's face was a beautiful, smooth surface.

The steward continued. "There will be an exchange of gifts, representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you."

Jabe smiled at us, approaching as the steward introduced more guests.

"Shit, gifts," I patted my pockets down, looking for bumps. "Gifts, gifts gifts — AH!" I produced a handful of coins, all ranging from five to fifty pence.

The Doctor frowned down at my hand. "Better keep that to yourself."

Which made sense, I guess. There was no reasonable explanation as to why I had what was considered old Earth currency.

I sighed and pocketed my money.

The Doctor shot a questioning look my way and I just breathed out at him. He raised an eyebrow. I mimed breathing again. His eyes widened, then he grinned.

"The Gift of Peace." Jabe said, finally approaching. "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather."

"Thank you." The Doctor took the plant gratefully and switched it off to Rose. "I give you in return . . ." He glanced at me. I mimed at him breathing for a third time. He jerked me to him and spun me around to face Jabe. "Air from Olivia Tyler's lungs."

Not at all what I meant, damn Space Man.

She smiled down at me kindly, almost indulgently, and leaned down to my level.

I gently blew in her face, hoping she liked the smell of pineapple breath.

She breathed it in deeply and sighed. "How refreshing."

The Doctor grinned from atop my head. "There's more where that came from."

I stomped on his toe in response, making him jerk. "Use your own lungs."

. . .

Alien after alien walked through the doors. Some tall, some short, some wide, some . . . metal. The Adherents of the Repeated Meme sure were a funny thing to think about.

Then a giant, tentacled head, somehow handsome in its oddity, rolled in and I almost lost my shit. Almost. Okay, I squealed a little, but I'm sure no one heard me.

"And last but not least," the steward announced, "our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the Last Human."

I glanced at Rose, then the Doctor who was already watching us, and grinned.

I'd read articles before about how humans were still evolving. How our eyes would get bigger and limbs would lengthen disproportionately. So obviously I couldn't wait to see what a human could evolve into a billion or so years from now.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."

Then the last human, herself, rolled out, pinned to a frame like a morbid art experiment. I couldn't quite pin point what I was feeling. But somehow, I'd missed out on seeing evolution and instead got . . . a flab of skin. I really hoped we didn't all turn into helpless flabs of skin.

"Oh, now, don't stare."

The Doctor grinned, overly pleased with the new addition. Overly, because he didn't even try to hold back his laughter. Rude, but understandable from what I know of him so far. He doesn't seem the type to hold in his glee.

"I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand."

I raised my wide eyes to the Doctor. "How do we manage _that_ added life span?"

He didn't answer me.

"Moisturise me. Moisturise me."

One of the two men dressed in all white lifted up a spray gun and spritzed her with water. At least, I hoped it was water.

"Truly, I am the last Human."

Rose took a step forward, creeping towards Lady Cassandra. Really, how did I get stuck with Rude number one and two?

"My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil." She said, her voice cracking. "I have come to honour them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears." One of her nurses took a tissue and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The doors behind her whooshed open, revealing one of the staff holding what looked to be a big egg.

"But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?"

The Doctor laughed at that.

"Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines." She cleared her throat. "Mercy." She smacked her thin lips. "And here, another rarity."

Once again, the doors slid open and in rolled a large jukebox. The kind you'd find in mom and pop diners.

"According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"

Tainted Love echoed throughout the gallery.

. . .

The golden particles had shown up again at the most inopportune time. I was supposed to be enjoying myself, not worrying about what bad thing could happen next.

As soon as Tainted Love started playing from the jukebox speakers, they flickered to existence. On the Moxx of Balhoon, the Steward, Jabe, the Pakoos, even the Last Human.

It was overwhelming, all these lives about to change and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. Couldn't even tell if it was for better or worse. Sure, Clive was easy to warn off. But he was also one man. He was easier to predict.

These were aliens, beings I'd never been around. I had no basis to guess off of. Only my gut feeling. Which wasn't feeling to grand at the moment.

Rose, in a similarly overwhelmed state, grabbed my hand and we legged it — just ran from the room and didn't look back.

. . .

"Too many aliens?"

Rose hummed in acknowledgment. "Golden thingies?"

I sighed, shoulders slumping. "Yeah."

"How many?"

"Counting Raffalo?" We looked at each other, Rose concerned. "Six."

She let out a short breath. "Wow."

I snorted. "Yeah."

I glanced at Rose as she held tightly to the little plant Jabe had given us. She frowned down at it like it should have been giving her answers but refused to talk.

"So," I started, not sure if I should really bring it up. "You believe me? About the gold stuff?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Never gave it much thought. To be honest, I thought that was always just you wanting to see something that wasn't there. Like how you believe in ghosts —"

"Ghost do exist, Rose."

She patted my hand. "Sure they do, Ollie."

I huffed, crossing my arms. After a beat of silence, I glanced her way again. "Rose . . . That's a sort of plant." I nodded to the cutting in her hands. "Maybe you're related."

She snorted, nudging me with her shoulder.

"Rose? Ollie? You two in there?"

The door behind us whooshed and in walked the Doctor. He flopped down on the platform across the steps.

"Aye, aye. What do you think, then?"

I smiled and it wasn't completely forced. "It's great."

"Yeah, fine." Rose nodded along. "Once you get past the slightly psychic paper."

The Doctor laughed, completely oblivious to Rose's mood.

She tapped her fingers together. "They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien." She gestured. "You look at 'em . . . And they're alien."

He just looked at her. "Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South."

I snorted and Rose glared at me for it.

I just shrugged back, nonplussed.

"Where are you from?"

"All over the place."

"They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English." The Doctor relaxed back, propping a leg up. It was like the damn man was posing. "It's a gift of the Tardis. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."

"It's inside my brain?"

He smiled. "Well, in a good way."

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"

He frowned. "I didn't think about it like that."

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South." Rose huffed. "Who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?"

"I'm just the Doctor."

"Where are you from?"

The Doctor sat up, giving a forced laugh. "Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!"

I tugged on her sleeve. "Rose . . ."

She shook me off. "Where are you from?"

"What does it matter?"

"Tell me who you are!"

His face tightened. "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me!"

He stood up, pacing.

Rose jumped up after him. "Yeah, and we're here too because you brought us here, so just tell me."

An electronic voice sounded over the speakers. "Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."

"Rose, maybe we shouldn't argue with the designated driver."

She rolled her eyes at me, then paused and sighed. She took out her mobile. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal." She held her phone up as if to confirm it for sure. "We're out of range. Just a bit."

"Tell you what." He took the mobile from her hands. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery."

I grinned, bouncing up from my seat to join them. "That a technical term, is it? Jiggery pokery?"

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?"

"Nah, dead last in hullabaloo."

We laughed and even Rose joined in. The mood lifted.

"Oh. There you go."

Rose gave him a small smile, then walked off towards the window with her mobile to her ear.

The Doctor looked down at me, a hand in his pocket. "Well . . ." When I looked at him blankly he shook his free hand at me. "Well? Give it here."

"Oh," I snorted, a sheepish smile on my face as I scratched at my cheek. "I sort of . . . got my phone taken away."

He raised his eyebrows at that.

I shrugged. "Apparently rigging it up to set off car alarms is frowned upon in my household." I laughed. "At least I gave Rose and Mum a good scare. Hilarious, that was."

He grinned like he so often did. You could see it in his face — the crow's feet around his eyes, the laughter lines around his mouth. I'd never looked so much at another's face before. I'd never found anyone interesting enough to bother. Even his eyes, so old and sad, still seemed to have the ability to sparkle with mirth.

They studied me, bright and blue and probing. They flickered like the hottest of fires and I could feel their burn.

I cleared my throat, pulling my eyes away.

Rose hung up her call and walked over to us, a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago." She said, mouth still loose in shock. "So she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

The Doctor pursed his lips, glancing at Rose. "Bundle of laughs you are."

The floor beneath our feet rumbled, shaking the room.

The Doctor's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "That's not supposed to happen."

. . .

"That wasn't a gravity pocket."

The Doctor entered the main lobby, Rose and me following after him.

"I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." He touched the wall, where it opened to reveal a small blue touch screen. "What do you think, Jabe?"

He looked back, and sure enough, Jabe was standing there behind us.

"Listen to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

"It's the sound of metal." She shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you and your wives."

"They're not my wives."

"Partners?"

"No."

"Concubines?"

"Nope."

"Prostitutes?"

I groaned, flinging my hands up. "Just ask if he's single. Damn, do you have to insult us?"

"Yeah, do you mind?" Rose cocked her hip. "Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. We're going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson."

She latched onto me and drug me away behind her.

"Don't start a fight." The Doctor pointed before turning to Jabe with his arm held out for her to take. "I'm all yours."

Rose joked, walking off. "And I want you home by midnight."

"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes."

I stared after them, head tilted as the golden particles disappeared down the corridor with Jabe.

"Oi," Rose bumped me. "You alright?"

"Umm," I looked up at her, trying to figure that out myself. "Not sure."

She frowned down at me. "Well, go mingle yeah?"

I glanced around the room, my mood lifting. "Yeah."

. . .

"Come on, let's go," Rose said as she grabbed ahold of my arm. "I can't stand being in the same room as that bitchy trampoline."

"Uh," I scratched at my cheek. "I can't. Still trying to —"

Rose stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Yeah, people are starting to talk, Ollie. It's weird."

Turns out, if you tell enough people to go to the toilets and lock themselves in, word travels.

I shrugged "We all know I'm a social pariah, what point is there in pretending?"

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Save people, Rose."

"You don't know that it's —"

"I don't!" I groaned, walking over to the wall to have something to lean on. Rose followed me. "I don't know, Rose. But something's going to happen. I know that, and it's bloody killing me. What if all these people die and I could have stopped it?"

"We don't even know if what you're seeing is real."

I glared. "Well, it's real to me."

Rose took a moment to just look at me and take me in. She sighed, looking away. "You keep trying then. I need some me time."

. . .

I stared at the metal spider in Jabe's hand, curled up in death like the arachnid it was modeled after.

Real. Things were starting to feel all very real.

The Steward was missing, which I had the sinking feeling the gold particles had something to do with. No one had bothered to look for him. Maybe because he was staff.

But Rose was missing too. She had been for ten whole minutes. She never takes this long to cool down after a tiff with me. There's no way she would take this long over a stranger like Cassandra.

"The metal machine confirms." Jabe continued. What she was saying before, I couldn't say. "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra tried to look surprised, but her face was pulled too taught. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturise me, moisturise me."

The door swished open and the Doctor walked out, face hard. He took the robot spider from Jabe. With one hand holding it up, he sonicked it with his other. It twitched.

The Moxx of Balhoon looked from her to the Doctor and back. "Summon the Steward."

Jabe looked every bit of regretful as she sounded. "I'm afraid the Steward is dead."

Murmurs and gasps of shock rang throughout the gallery.

"Who killed him?"

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe." Cassandra rang in. "He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face."

The Face of Boe shook his head, eyes squinting almost exasperatedly.

"Easy way of finding out." The Doctor stuffed his sonic in his pocket and held up the robot spider for everyone to see. "Someone bought their little pet on board." He placed it on the ground. "Let's send him back to master."

The little metal arachnid beeped, it's red light scanning the room as it turned its head this way and that. Then it began to move.

It scurried across the floor, away from the Doctor and towards Cassandra. It stopped and scanned her.

She looked away, ignoring it.

It gave a sad little beep and continued on its way. Right to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.

Cassandra gasped. "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!"

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious," The Doctor stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and paced towards the accused. "but if you stop and think about it"

One of the cloaked figures flung out a fist, but the Doctor caught it.

"A Repeated Meme is just an idea." He ripped the arm away, dismembering it. "And that's all they are, an idea." He grasped onto the hanging wires and pulled. All the cloaks fell to the floor with a hiss and clatter. "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker." He looked around the room, eyes catching mine, before he focused on the spider and nudged it with his foot. "Go on, Jimbo. Go home."

It immediately went Cassandra's way.

She sneered, or tried to. "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!"

Her attendants obeyed, lifting their spray guns up like weapons.

The Doctor put a mocking hand to his chest. "What are you going to do, moisturise me?"

"With acid. Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just as pretty face."

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets with a disappointed sigh. "Five billion years and it still comes down to money."

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not those freaky little kids of yours."

"Arrest her," The Moxx of Balhoon pointed. "the infidel."

"Oh, shut it, pixie." She hissed. "I've still got my final option."

"Earth Death in three minutes."

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."

"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe snapped.

Cassandra just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate."

The floor shook and explosion of sound went off. Everyone looked around in a panic. I inched towards the Doctor, knowing by instinct that he was the safest place to be near.

"Forcefields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband." She laughed, but cleared her throat to stop it prematurely. "Oh, shame on me."

"Safety systems failing."

"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings."

And with that, Cassandra and her attendants were gone.

"Heat levels rising."

The Moxx of Balhoon was completely in a panic. "Reset the computer."

"Only the Steward would know how." Jabe argued.

"No. We can do it by hand." The Doctor started for the doors. "There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, come on. You lot, just chill."

"Heat rising."

"No, I can't let you." I ran in front of Jabe, arms stretched. "You're going into the belly of a space station while the sun's exploding —"

"Expanding," The Doctor piped in, tapping his foot in impatience.

I glared at him before softening my gaze over to Jabe. "I'm sorry if it's rude to point it out, but you're made of wood. Have you never heard of forest fires?"

She very much did look offended. Then her face relaxed with a put upon huff. The golden lights receded and faded into nonexistence.

"Very well. I would reckon flesh isn't as combustable?"

I grinned in triumph. "Oh, it takes a bit longer."

. . .

"Heat levels critical."

We ran and ran. By the time we came out to the belly of the ship, where the switch was, I was out of breath and there was a definite stitch in my side.

I panted, trying to get my breath to even out.

Somehow the Doctor was fine. "Oh. And guess where the switch is."

Said switch was on the other side of a walkway, three larger than life fans in the way.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

He glanced this way and that, eyes searching. They landed to my right where a lever was encased in plexiglass. Or something like it. The Doctor pried the cover off, threw it to the side, and put his weight down on the lever.

The fans slowed, almost to a point where one would have a chance to get across. I could only guess that the Doctor planned to be that someone. I wasn't nearly fast enough.

He started forward, a determined look on his face. But the lever bounced back and the fans sped up.

"External temperature five thousand degrees."

Not sure if I was strong enough, but not caring either way, I yanked the lever down. I put all my weight on it, straining. Tough, but possible.

The Doctor sent me a soul searching look. "The heat's going to vent through this place."

I nodded. "I know."

"How did you know? About Jabe?"

I looked away.

The few people that did know about the golden lights didn't believe me. Why would this amazing, time traveling alien? He seemed to know everything. What if he did believe me? What if he knew exactly what I was seeing?

I couldn't hold his gaze. "Stop wasting time."

I could feel his eyes on me. I didn't dare look. Then the pressure lifted and I knew he had raced for the fans.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

I strained against the weight of the lever and the heat slowly rising to meet my palms.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."

My brows dampened and sweat collected above my lips. My hands were singing, but I couldn't feel it. I could only smell the burning. For some odd reason, they'd gone numb. Was that a bad sign?

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

The Doctor glanced back at me, face hard, before jumping through the next set of fans. Then the next.

I closed my eyes, praying.

"Raise shields!" The Doctor shouted.

"Earth death in ten . . . Nine . . . Eight . . ."

. . .

We made our way back to the observation gallery in silence. I was eager, yet reluctant to see everyone. To see if the golden lights had anything to do with the sun expanding. How man people had I let down today?

"I'm sorry."

I jerked, eyes pulling up to meet the Doctor's. His eyes weren't on me, though.

He reached out a hand and gently grabbed my wrist. He examined the damage. I still couldn't bring myself to look at it. I was just grateful my body had numbed the pain away for the most part.

"I'll heal them when we get back to the TARDIS."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"No. Thank you, Ollie." He smiled, and it was real.

My own smile mirrored his.

. . .

The first thing I saw when I made it to the gallery is Rose.

We raced towards each other, colliding almost painfully.

"You all right?"

"Mmm." I held on to her, refusing to let go.

She looked to the Doctor. "What about you, Doctor?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them." His voice was hard, cold even.

It was then I noticed the Moxx of Balhoon, or what was left of him.

I held tighter to Rose, an embarrassing whimper leaving me. I sniffed my tears away. I couldn't be weak. I shouldn't be. It wasn't the time. Others had survived. Jabe was still there, blissfully ignorant of what was almost her fate. Along with the Pakoos.

"and Idea number one," The Doctor continued. "teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby."

He paced towards the corner the last ostrich egg rested. He snatched it up and smashed it against its podium. There was a small device inside that he picked up out of the crushed shell.

"Idea number three, if you're as clever as me," He twisted a knob one the device. "then a teleportation feed can be reversed."

Mechanical ringing echoed off the walls, along with Cassandra's voice."Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." Blue light shown, then suddenly, Cassandra was back. Alone. She glanced around dispassionately. "Oh."

"The last human."

"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club."

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them."

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor," She went on, skin drying. "and watch me smile and cry and flutter."

"And creak?"

"And what?"

"Creak." He grinned through cold eyes. "You're creaking."

"What? Ah! I'm drying out!" Her eyes reddened, along with her skin. "Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturise me, moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature."

"Have pity! Moisturise me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything."

Rose took a step forward, leaving my side to go to the Doctor's. "Help her."

"Everything has its time" He said, voice tight. "and everything dies."

"I'm too young!"

. . .

The image of an exploding Cassandra rang in my mind still. Another person I could have saved. Whose golden particles were the only thing left of them.

Rose stood by my side, hand in mine, as we watched pieces of our world float by.

The door behind us whooshed open and somehow we knew. The Doctor had arrived.

"The end of the Earth. It's gone."

I sniffed, wiping at my eyes. "Nobody got to see it. All that history, all those years, and no one cared. We were too busy trying to save ourselves."

Rose squeezed my hand. "No one was even looking."

The Doctor took a gentle hold of my wrist and examined it again. "Come with me." He took Rose's hand. "Both of you."

. . .

We stood amongst a crowd of people, standing still against the current.

The London air wasn't so cold this time of year, but I had a chill that set down into my bones. I hated crowds. That's where the gold showed up most. So many lives, so many changes about to take place. No one I could save. Didn't even know if they needed saving.

Crowds were unpredictable.

Just like aliens.

"Big Issue! Big Issue!"

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone." He hid his shaking hands in his pockets, but I caught the action. "Even the sky. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time."

I still had those damn tears in my eyes. For some reason, they wouldn't go away. "What happened?"

"There was a war and we lost."

"A war with who?" Rose asked. "What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"There's us."

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know. I want. Oh, can you smell chips?"

"Ooh, I love chips." I blurted out before I could really think about it. "Can we have chips?"

Rose grinned down at me. "Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is," She pointed to the Doctor. "and you can pay."

He patted down his pockets. "No money."

I looked up at the both of them. "I've got five euros, at most."

"What sort of dates are the pair of you?" She scoffed. "Come on then, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close."


End file.
